The record books will show that Portsmouth beat Liverpool 2-1 on the 28th April 2007 yet, with a Champions League semi-final against Chelsea weighing heavily on his mind, the side Rafael Benitez sent out on the day was far from the regular eleven he would normally have opted for.

With nothing left to play for in the league – finishing third or fourth is at this point trivial – the side did at least elicit some interest for the inclusion of certain young players and the hope for the future that such players always seem to arouse.

Such hope was, however, instantly dampened by the defeat. Which invariably raises the question as to the strength of Liverpool’s squad.

When analysing Benitez’s transfer dealings, last summer one national newspaper opined that Daniel Agger had been a ‘miss’. A hurried (and inaccurate) judgement given that at the time Agger had played just a handful of games as you would expect of someone faced with the task of tying to displace Sami Hyppia from the side.

Such early statements can come back to haunt you, which is why I’d desperately like to avoid talking of Gabriel Paletta. But that’s impossible to do. The Argentine central defender has been atrocious in the 6-3 home defeat against Arsenal but it was hoped that it was a one-off experience.

If his game against Portsmouth is anything to go by, however, that wasn’t the case as Paletta was dismally lacking: he was regularly dragged out of position, can’t control the ball, his passing abysmal, has the tendency to barge into opponents causing as well as occasionally mis-kicking the ball rather than clearing it. So bad was he that he made Benjani look like a world beater.

And it doesn’t seem to be out of character. Regulars at reserve games seem to consider Jack Hobbs as being better prepared for first team football with Paletta often guilty of costly mistakes.

Earlier in the season, the BBC’s correspondent for South America Tim Vickery(http://news.bbc.co.uk/solpda/ukfs_sport/hi/newsid_4715000/4715264.stm) hinted that Paletta had made a mistake moving to Europe so early in his career, that he hasn’t got the necessary experience to handle the move.

Vickery’s view was that he should have moved to a bigger Argentine club to learn more about his position before crossing the Atlantic. At the time he was roundly criticised but, in hindsight it looks as if he was right.

A loan move, and regular first team football, might help Paletta develop. Based on today’s showing, however, there won’t be clubs many queuing up to get him.